HER2-low and HER2-zero in Breast Cancer

“[...] we found an independent positive prognostic effect of HER2-low compared to HER2-zero in early breast cancer.”

BUFFALO, NY- July 16, 2024 – A new editorial paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 15 on June 20, 2024, entitled, “HER2-low and HER2-zero in breast cancer between prognosis, prediction and entity.”

In this new editorial, researchers Marcus Schmidt, Hans-Anton Lehr, and Katrin Almstedt from the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University discuss HER2 in breast cancer. HER2 is a well-established prognostic and predictive factor in breast cancer, which is associated with a poor prognosis but also offers the chance of improved survival when treated with targeted therapies based on the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab, both in advanced (hazard ratio (HR) 0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71 to 0.94, P = 0.004) and in early (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.77, P < 0.00001) stages.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)/College of American Pathologists (CAP) defines HER2-positivity as either 3+ by immunohistochemistry (IHC) or 2+ with amplification by in situ hybridization (ISH). Yet, the vast majority of breast tumors are considered HER2- negative (IHC 0 or 1+ or 2+ without amplification) by these criteria, and it has until recently been accepted that HER2-negative tumors do not benefit from trastuzumab based therapy. 

“Now, results of randomized trials with trastuzumab-based antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) such as trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) have fundamentally challenged this long-held view.”

Continue reading: DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28598 

Correspondence to:  Marcus Schmidt

Email: marcus.schmidt@unimedizin-mainz.de 

Keywords: breast cancer, HER2, HER2-low, prognostic, predictive

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